Jesu Juva
1 Corinthians 1:10-25
February 1, 2026
Epiphany 4A
Dear saints of our Savior~
We conducted a lot of business at our first voters’ meeting of the year last Sunday. We debated, we discussed, we nominated, we addressed issues of money and finance. We voted; and then we voted some more. And despite some differences of opinion, we somehow emerged from it all unscathed, with our unity intact—our oneness preserved.
It doesn’t always work out that way. Unity is a precious gift in the life of every congregation; and it is precisely at this point that the devil likes to unleash his favorite weapon: division. Drive a wedge between Christians. Divide congregations. Divide the church. “Divide and conquer” is Satan’s strategy against the saints of God.
The devil wants to divide and isolate Christians. He’s a wolf looking to attack and scatter the flock. And there’s nothing more vulnerable than a solitary sheep, divided from the flock and isolated, all alone. To be a Christian in that position makes you an easy mark—a tasty morsel for an enemy with an insatiable appetite for the faithful. “Divide and devour” is what he does best.
When reports about divisions in the Corinthian congregation reached St. Paul, it likely sent a shiver down his spine. He had founded that little congregation a few years earlier. It was still a congregation in its infancy, filled with “baby Christians” and new converts from paganism. To make matters worse, the Corinthian Christians didn’t consider themselves to be rookies in the faith, but regarded themselves as paragons of wisdom—seasoned sages who could smartly sample the latest fads and philosophies.
St. Paul realized the situation at Corinth was a dumpster fire in the making. The report he received from Chloe’s people described the congregation as a hotbed of quarreling and dissension and disagreement and division. They reveled in church politics and a party spirit: I follow Paul some said. I follow Apollos said others. I follow Cephas said some, insinuating that they were on a friendly first name basis with Peter, the foremost of the Twelve. Some even dared to boast, I follow Christ, as if they were the only ones who did. Division in the church is always dangerous, especially among those who pride themselves on being more spiritually mature than everyone else.
Into all this nasty division and party pettiness, Paul fires the first arrow of His Apostolic epistle: I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment (v.10). Paul leaves no doubt that the way of Christ and His Spirit is unity; while the way of the devil is division. In a long laundry list of problems that needed correcting in Corinth, restoring unity was job number one. With the help of the Holy Spirit, these sinful divisions would be fixed first of all.
Corinthians chapter one is a great reminder that we need to see the congregation as God sees it. We need to see our congregation through the lens of God’s Word. And seeing things through the Word always requires an adjustment in our thinking. When Paul pleaded with the Corinthians for no divisions and for unity in the “same mind and the same judgement,” he wasn’t demanding a bland conformity among Christians. It’s okay to acknowledge that we are, indeed, many individuals of differing opinions, ages, skills, temperaments, perspectives, and demographics. Paul elsewhere compares us to different parts of the body of Christ. We are as different as eyes, ears, and pinky toes.
But we are united as members of the body of Christ. We share the same baptismal bath. We eat the same bread which is the body of Christ. We drink the same cup which is the blood of Christ. We share together in one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Eph. 4:5-6). We are united in Christ, in a unity that surpasses our individuality.
And this unity is not something we achieve. It is God’s doing. It is God’s gift. It is the work of the Holy Spirit, calling, gathering, enlightening, sanctifying, and keeping the whole church with Christ in the one true faith. God works unity; the devil sows division.
This means that division in the church is much worse than just “not getting along” or “not playing nice.” Divisions are not merely believers sinning against believers; divisions are sins against the body of Christ—the very body that was nailed to the cross for our salvation—the body once crucified for the sin of the world and now preached from pulpits like this one.
Consider yourself warned: to actively perpetuate division in the church—to be an agent of discord—is to offer yourself up as a tool in the hand of the devil. You don’t want to be in that position, I assure you. Far better to be a blessed peacemaker, for the peacemakers shall be called sons of God. If ever you find yourself actively engaged in sowing division in the church, stop, drop, and repent. You’re playing right into the devil’s hands.
The solution to sinful division is not compromise. Nor is it some version of just “playing nice” and “getting along.” The solution is always—and only—the cross of Jesus. Paul squares up the divided Corinthians to the cross of Christ. He preaches nothing but Christ and Him crucified. He literally holds before their eyes Jesus Christ on the cross, taking away their sins, delivering them from sin, death, and the devil, as if to ask them with apostolic authority: How do all your divisions stack up against this? How do all your cliques and quarrels look when viewed against Christ crucified?
The cross sounded so foolish to the Corinthians who were infatuated with human wisdom. The cross sounds so foolish to modern ears. The cross defies all common sense and worldly wisdom. The message of the cross is the message of how sinners nailed their Savior to a piece of wood so that He might bleed and die for our salvation—so that He might pay the debt of our sin. It is the message about a Man who was also God—about a Lamb who was also a Shepherd, about a defeat which was also a victory. That is our message. That is what Paul preached; that is what we preach—Christ crucified, the power of God and the wisdom of God.
The answer to division in the church is the cross—not merely the “symbol” of the cross, but the fruits it produces by God’s power in us—the members of the Body of Christ. The power of the cross comes to us in our baptism. There we die to self and are raised up as children of God—members of one body. That power comes to us in the preaching of Christ crucified. That power comes to us in the Holy Supper of Christ’s body and blood, which is made up of many grains, but one loaf—of many grapes, but one cup. There are many members, but one Body. And this blessed unity is entirely the loving work of our Savior.
Our oneness comes from the Word. So let’s rejoice in that unity. Let’s nurture and nourish that unity right here at every opportunity. For here, by the grace of God, we preach Christ crucified.
In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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